


Loki: key to the universe

by littlemissdeath



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Cant change the past, Cant stop the future, Loki is ressurected, Love turns to smut, M/M, Thor needs Loki, Thor wants Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-01-31 14:24:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18593089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemissdeath/pseuds/littlemissdeath
Summary: Endgame spoilers.Movie happens as is. The Norns were affected by the snap and ask Thor to fix the balance. He get lost in his grief. Needs to revive Loki to set things right. But Thor dosent know how.





	1. Chapter 1

The day of the first snap. The Norns were tending to the branches of Yggdrasill. Creating life, guiding life and ending life. Skuld felt a pressure and something took over control of her hands. She couldn't fight the trance she was in.

She took her shears and plunged them in to the great tree. Her sisters looked up in shock as the saw half the tree turn black and wither. "Skuld! what are you doing?" Verdandi shouted.

Skuld didn't respond till she was done taking half of all life. She exhaled and looked down at her shaking hands. "I wasn't in control." she whispered. She looked up an then over to where her sisters were."I.." She looked around and all she saw was dust particles floating away.

She dropped her shears and reached out to her disintegrating sisters. "No!!!" She screamed.  
She fell to her knees and clutched her chest. "What has happened?" She stumbled down to the pond and touched the water with her bony fingertips. She watched as Thor faught 

Thanos and he snapped his fingers. "You.. you are not doing my job, titan. Things are to happen to when we dictate."  
Skuld clenched her fists then grabed a small tallisman from her chest and cast a spell to open a portal.

__-

Thor slumped down, surounded by his remaining friends. They slowly started to make there way back to the Wakandan city, taking dissalusioned survivors with them. Counting their losses. So many missing. Thor didnt know what to do. He should have gone for the head. He was fighting regret. He grabbed a bottle of booze and skulled it. He wiped his mouth and went looking for more.

He thought of Valkyrie and how he chide her for drinking her pain away. He knew she lost all her fellow warriors. He held up his next bottle to the sky and tosted to her. "I hope you survived his wish... or finaly at peace in Vallhalla." He then looked down. "If you see my Loki, please be kind to him." Thor then drunk as a single tear roll down his cheek.

Steve and Rocket watched. They didnt know who he was talking to, but they knew a prayer for the dead when they heard one. Steve patted Thor on the shoulder and nodded silently in comfort. Thor returned the uneasy nod.

Rocket hated suffering and loss, he needed to change the subject. "So now what?" They all looked at each other. Not knowing.

Thor walked to a room had claimed as his own. He slumped down on the bed and drunk some more. He tossed his empty accross the room. He fell back and covered his eyes as he wiped the tears.

A glow filled his room and Thor sat up and an old woman appeared before him. He recognised her. He fell to the floor and prostrated before her. "Please, let me go to Loki!" Thor cried.

She reached down and patted Thor's head."Get up, Thor, King of Asgard."

Thor stood slowly. He was so much bigger than her but he didn't want to overpower the situation. "What brings you from Yggdrasill?" 

"The universe is not balanced. Life has been taken that should not have been." She walked over and touched a empty pot-plant pot. "The titan's desire to take half of all has doomed everyone."

"I know, half of everything is gone." Thor wiped his nose, trying not to cry.

"No. It's more than that. Half of all life, is not just all humanoids. It is even bacteria.. The oxygen production by trees is halved. There may be less people on the Earth but also what sustains them too." She clutched her chest. "Even I was not immune. Urd and Verdandi were taken from me. This is where the problem lies."

Thor furrowed his brow, then realised. "Urd, Verdandi. Life givers..."  
"Yes, There is now no new life that can be created. Only I survived and my only task is to take life. Thus all will die and nothing with replace it." She took Thor's hand. She placed the talisman in it. "Use this. you can fix things. Two shall become one and restore Yggdrasill. The other part of your soul makes the balance."

Thor then thought of Thanos killing his brother. "Loki is part of my soul?"

"You are the light, he is the dark."She took his hand and smiled. "I was there with your mother. her spirit resides in my branches." She dissapeared in a soft glow.  
Thor looked down at the talisman He clutched it. He didnt know how to use it. He stepped outside and called Stormbreaker. He looked up and called his Bifrost.


	2. Chapter 2

Thor spend a few days looking through the wreckage of the Statesman till he found Loki's corpse. He placed the talisman around Loki's neck and gently placed his hand over it, resting on Loki's chest. Thor closed his eyes and concentrated on Loki. Nothing happened. Thor's bottom lip quivered. he embraced him tightly and flew back to Wakanda.  
__-

The remaining Avengers sat around thinking of a plan. They all stopped and looked as the doors opened to see Thor walking in carrying his brother's body. Thor was crying. "He wont wake up..." Thor pulled Loki's lifeless body close.

Steve walked over looked down at him. He remembered all the trouble Loki had caused, but then Thor had told them of how he had changed. Steve was a bit jealous that Thor at least had the body of his dead loved one, he just had the vision of Bucky turning to dust.

Thor pleaded with his eyes. "I tried to revive him, but the spell didnt work."

Steve, only recently came to terms with outer space invaders and glanced over to see Captain Marval and Rocket. He then realised there was more to the universe than he could know, who is to say there is no magic? Steve directed Thor and they lay Loki down on a long sofa. Steve could see the tell tale signs of strangulation. He saw the strange talisman around Loki's neck.

"It was supposed to revive him, but I don't know how to use it. Loki was the one who knew about magic." Thor kissed Loki's forehead and gently placed a blanket over him. "I know you dont feel the cold brother, but I want you to feel my warmth."

Natasha walked over and shared her insight. "We are going after him."

Thor looked up. "Thanos?"

"Yeah." Steve added. "We found where he is. You up for a mission?"

Thor stood and called Stormbreaker to his hand in acknowledgement.  
__-

The Benatar burst through the gate and all the space first timers were in awe of looking at a new world. Captain Marval flew down to do a recon.  
Thor was on edge, he was ready to attack.

She returned. "Nothing. No defences, no armies. He is the only one on the planet."

__-  
"Come to undo what I have done?" Thanos limped over to a chair. "You cant. I am inevitable."

Thor couldn't hold back. his grief had been renewed with the loss of Loki and his failed resurection. He threatened Thanos. "Where are the stones?!"

"I used the stones to destroy the stones." He looked at the burn up the side of Thanos' body and half his face. His left hand was now just a stump.

"My father is many things, a liar is not one of them." Nebula softly added.

"Ah, daughter, I shouldn't have treated you so harshly."

Thor realised there was nothing more to do. He swung and took off Thanos' head.

"What did you do that for?!" Rocket yelled.

"I went for the head." Thor softly said. It didn't make him feel any better. Loki was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

5 years later. 

New Asgard. A little village now occupied by the surviving Asgardians. The day to day running had become the job of the Valkyrie as Thor was an absent king. Up on the cliff away from the town. Where Odin had died. Thor buried Loki with the remnants of Mjolnir. He built a small hut there and slipped into a malaise.

Thor was no longer the athletic god, but a haggard old man. His hair was deadlocked and long. a stand of Loki's hair had been plated in. his beard was long and unkept. particles of food and vomit were in it. He wore loose fitting track pants and sandals. He was now fat like Volstagg. Constantly eating junk and drinking copious amounts of beer.

Meik and Korg kept him company and distracted him from thinking about his losses by playing video games and watching cable. Thor wandered outside. He walked over to Loki's grave and picked out a couple of stray grass stems growing through the rocks.

"I want to be with you again brother, but with no point in fighting, I cant come to Vallhalla." He then place a rock that had slipped back on the pile. "I know you are not in hell. you are with mother and father. I know it."

Thor went back in to Korg yelling at the player he was versing. "Thor! you got to tell this kid to bugger off. he's ruining the game!"

Thor grabbed the head set. "Now listed her kid, do you know who this is? its the god of thunder. now if you don't get off this game, I will fly over to your house and ri your arms off and shove that controller up your arse!" Thor then handed the headset back to Korg. "There you go."

"Thanks man!" Korg continued gameing and Meik conveyor belted slices of pizza up his belly to his mouth.

The day was much the same as any other but for the visit from Professor Hulk and Rocket. It didn't take much convincing on Rocket's part. He just told Thor there would be beer on the ship.


	4. Chapter 4

Rocket Thor and Hulk landed at Avengers HQ. The surviving Avengers were all sitting around not saying much. They did notice the drastic change in Thor's appearance. He had lost more than most. He sat down still drinking his beer.

Despite being indoors, Thor put on his sunglasses. He didn't want to look at anyone. He was still very reluctant to participate. Tony got up and demonstrated his theory of time travel. But with the limited Pym partials, they had to travel to only a few points rather than after each stone.

The group stood up one by one and shared their insight about each stone. "Thor?" Tony gestured to the man in the corner. Thor wansnt moving and decidedly relaxed.

"Is he asleep?" Rocket asked.

Thor roused and got to his feet. He walked over to the screen. He looked at the stones on the screen and looked blankly at everyone.

"So Thor, tell us about the reality stone." Steve asked.

Thor snorted and began correcting him. "Well for starters it is not a stone, its a liquidy slime. You need to correct your information, its not a stone." 

Thor then started to ramble. "My ex girlfriend Jane," He taped the image of her on the screen. "Thats her. We dated. but not now. She touched it and she absorbed it. But we fought the DarkElves. Loki died. But not for real. But I didnt know that."

The Avengers polity listened and didn't interrupt.

"We gave the Aether to the Collector in Knowhere. But Thanos destroyed everything and took it."

"So where is the best place to get it in time?" Tony asked.

"I guess on Asgard. When it was in Jane." Thor then tangented again. "We used to date you know?" He looked fondly at the screen. "Thats her. very pretty, but we broke up. I told Loki it was a mutual break up, but it was her. I don't know why. I thought I was nice."

"Ok. Thanks Thor." Tony was getting bored with his rambling.

"I can still fight." Thor was sensing a dig at his masculinity.

"Yeah we know, you're a god, Lebrowski."

"You know what flows through my veins?" Thor clenched his fist and flexed what muscles he did have.

"Cheese wiz?" Brody answered.

"Ok, Ok." Steve stood up and saw this was going to escalate. "We have a plan now. 2012 three stones are in New York. Two teams will take the shrunken Benatar to Morag to get the Power Stone and the other team will fly from there to Vormir to get the Soul Stone. And Thor, you and Rocket will go to Asgard to get the Aether."

They all agreed and then set about fitting their quantum suits ready for testing.  
__-

Thor and Rocket snuck through the bowels of the palace. Thor knew they had to go through the dungeons. He could see Loki lying on his bed tossing a cup. 

He wanted to talk to him, fix the time line but they wernt to change things. 

They darted in and out of pillars of the palace. soon they were nearing where Jane was being kept. Thor stopped and Rocket turned. "What are you doing? you said its this way. 

You distract your ex girlfriend and I stick her with this and get the Aether."

"Ah, I was going to go this way. Father has a wine cellar and there is this really nice 1000 year old.."

"No! Thats not the plan."

"Ok. I will." Thor reluctantly followed. "No. Noped, I cant."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I think I'm freaking out. I cant do this." Thor was looking for an out. Too many feelings were coming back.

"What cant you do?"

They heard some people walking and they ducked behind a pillar. They watched as a group of handmaidens followed a tall beautiful woman in a long blue dress.

"Whoa, who is the broad?" Rocket asked.

"My mother."

"Oh."

"This was the day my mother died."

"Oh." Rocket remembered their conversations about Thor loosing his whole family. "Are you crying?"

"No!" Thor sniffed. "Yes!"

"Come here." Rocket held open his arms. Thor moved closer and then Rocket slapped him. "Snap out of it! we have a mission to complete."

Rocket began to sneak down the hall. Thor followed but then chickened out and hid. Rocket didnt notice and continued on to Jane's room. Thor tried to sneak away when a tap on his shoulder made him turn.

"You should have left the sneaking to your brother."

"Mother." Thor's emotions were flowing freely. She didn't baulk at his new look.

"The years have been hard on you."

He embraced her and she enjoyed the hug.

She lead him to her room. "Mother, there is something I need you.."

"No."

"But you dont know what I'm.."

"I know son. I have see it." Frigga patted his hand. "You are from the future."

"No I'm not." Thor was very unconvincing.

"I was raised by witches if you remember?"

"I'm from the future." He sobbed again. "I dont know if I can do this."

"You wont be alone. You have your brother." She reminded him.

"Loki is dead.."

"Is he?" She doubted him.

"I know Loki is in the cells downstairs, but my Loki.. that is the Loki from my time, he was killed by Thanos. Right in front of me! he choaked him to death and threw his body to the ground!" Thor cried as he hugged her.

"Yes. but not now." She pushed him back and comforted him.

"What?" Thor shook his head in disbelief. "I can't do this."

"Everyone fails at who they’re supposed to be, Thor. The measure of a person, of a hero, is how well they succeed at being who they are. Use the power of Asgard. Take Loki to the Norn pools on Midgard. the waters of life will activate the tallisman."

"How do you know that?" Thor was angry that it was something so simple. "Skuld never told me how to use the amulet!"

"Thor." she took his hands. "It's written in runes around the edge. did you never read them?"

"No.." Thor felt stupid.

"Now go my son. I will watch over you both. Know that we love you."

Thor couldnt stay angry. He stood up and hear the commotion. Rocket was scrambling down the long halls with the Aether, being chased by guards.  
"Thor! Time to go!" Rocket shouted.

"Wait." Thor held out his hand.

Rocket Looked a Frigga.  
"Dont worry, some times it takes a while." She said.

Then Mjolnir flew into his hand. Thor smiled widely. "Still worthy." He cried. "I have to go. Bye mother. I love you." Thor stepped back and activated his time suit. He kept watching her as he activated the portal.


	5. Chapter 5

Thor stood umungst the returned Avengers. They were shocked at the sacrifice of Natasha for the Soul Stone. Thor was a bit indifferent. Sure it was sad she perished. But it wasn't as if Nebula didn't tell them what was required. 

Rocket had the Aether so Thor didn't see it was necessary that he be here for the near future. Thor went outside and called his Bifrost and flew back to New Asgard.  
Thor landed near his little house. Korg and Miek emerged. "Oh Thor, you're back. Cable's still out." Korg looked down at Miek as he clicked and muttered. "Oh, good point.. So Thor you going to go get some beer as we are out of that too."

"I'm not here for that." Thor was somber and headed to Loki's grave. he started to uncover and dismantle the mound. Korg nodded and ushered Meik back inside.  
Thor carefully brushed the last few rocks away then peeled back the shroud. He signed when he looked at his partly decomposed body. Thor then placed his hand on Loki's chest over the talisman. "I will fix this." Thor then carefully lifted Loki's wrapped body.

He walked a short distance to a cart and placed Loki's body in it. He then began to drag the cart away from the clearing his house sat in.

__-  
Thor traveled only a few kilometers down a track to a series of rocks which merged into a cliff and soon a small cave.

Thor could have flown here and got here quickly but he wanted to take time to think of what he was about to do and what Loki might do if he dosnt want to be part of the Avengers. Would Thor just accept that and put Loki first. He began to think of their turbulent friendship. He wondered how he felt. He was allways perplexed by Loki. He had often dismissed his feeling towards him. Especially when they were younger and he didnt know Loki wasn't related.

He shook his head. "No. I cant think about that. I have to let Loki come to me. If I force him, he will run."

He paused infront of the cave and lifted Loki and carried him in. He set him down near the pool and looked down at the talisman and actually read the runic instructions. "Bind runes huh?... Health, birth, year, water, return, love, bind, eternal. Humm." Thor placed Loki in the water. A warm glow filled the dark pond. Thor submerged Loki's whole body then raised him up. A hand sharply rose up through the water and grasped the shroud over his face and tore it off.

Loki was restored and was staring at Thor, very angry. "Thor, you dumb oaf. You know you should have removed my clothes and this, this.." Loki looked at the shroud. "Did you bury me?"

"Yes. But I had to keep your body wrapped, you were dead.. and well.. decomposing." Thor sheepishly said.

Loki stood in the pond and looked down at the talisman. "Oh. Who gave you this? It looks like one of mother's." Loki caressed it fondly at the thought.  
"No, Skuld gave it to me."

"Since when do you talk to the Norns?" Loki scoffed. He went to climb out of the pond. Thor grabbed his wrist. "Thor?"

"Loki. Do we need to complete the spell?" 

"What?"

"The runes, they say that water will restore and love is eternity. Doesnt that mean that water will restore but you need to bind the spell with love?"

Loki paused at Thor's ability to interprate runes and in such a way. He then blushed at his implication. "Oh. and how do you suppose that is done?"

"Well.. I think we have to show each other how much. well we love each other." Thor was now like a school boy who had never been kissed.

"By...?" Loki was forcing him to say the words.

Thor then cupped Loki's cheek and stroked it with his thumb. "I guess..."

Loki then interrupted. "Thor, exactly how long was I dead? you look like a hobo version of Odin." He then pointed to the dreadlocks and then to his beer belly and fingerless gloves. "You look like a drowned rat."

"What? Since when do you care about looks?"

"Well, you now look like Volstagg and I never found him sexually attractive." Loki turned to get out of the pond when Thor grabbed him and pinned him against a rock.

"I knew it! if I was handsome again you would have sex with me!"

"Whoa! I never said that." Loki tried to push him back.

"Loki, was there any man on Asgard or in the nine realms that you liked... like, that." Thor shied. Loki felt bad. he saw Thor was suffering.

Loki placed his hand on Thor's forehead. "Let me see what I have missed." Loki then closed his eyes and dove into Thor's psyche to watch the last five years. Loki gasped and stumbled back. Watching his death and Thor's demise after feeling like he was the failure in Thanos' victory. Loki then began to cry as he saw Thor talking to Frigga.  
Thor saw Loki's emotions get the best of him and he pulled him in for a firm hug. Both men held each other and let their bodys communicate. Thor tried to warm Loki, he felt how cold he was and thought it was cause he was dead. He didnt even think about it was because he was Jotun.

Loki adjusted to the idea, that it took a bit more of a reach to get around Thor's girth. He smiled and placed his head on Thor's shoulder. "I guess I finally got that hug." They broke off the hug and looked at each other.

Thor then bit his lip and shied. Loki then took advantage of this and softly kissed Thor. It was broken by a pause then Thor smiled and Loki smiled and then they kissed again.   
Thor then broke it off. "Look, I know you arent phased by the cold, but can we get out of this pond? its really cold!" Thor then climbed out.

"Oh so you worried that the cold is affected.. well.." he glanced down at Thor's crotch.

"Hey!" Thor then shoved Loki back in the pond as he went to climb out.

Loki laughed and climbed back out. Thor forgot the last time he heard him genuinely happy. Thor then helped him out. Loki looked down at the talisman as they walked out of the cave. "So was that enough proof of love to seal the spell?"

Thor put his arm over Loki's shoulder and held him close as they walked. "I don't know. you're still alive, so I'm taking that as a yes." Thor was hopeful of more.

"Oh.." Loki then pushed away. "Thats a shame." Loki then smirked. "I was hoping we would fuck!" he then ran out of the cave into the sun and long green grass. Thor chased him but he was very unfit.

"Loki! wait!" He panted.

Loki slowed and turned. He let Thor catch up. but he just put his hands on his knees and drew heavy breaths. Loki then patted him on the back.  
"Thor. I was joking. Sort of.." Loki tried to help his feelings. "Why did you revive me?"

"Well the Norns.. well see, two were killed and couldn't sustain life. So the universe has been dying. Skulk asked that I help. That you were the one to help me."

"So you didn't want me for no selfish reason then?" Loki slightly took a dig at Thor.

"Of course I did. but I also want everyone back too."

"Oh, yeah, the snap." Loki then shrugged. "You should have gone for the head."

Loki soon realised they were near where Odin died. Thor then brushed Loki's hair from his face and over his ear. Thor then turned to him and held his hands. "Loki, I buried you here with Mjolnir. Cause I knew that you were worthy of a place in Valhalla."

"Oh, Thanks."

"Did you?" Thor looked hopeful. "Did you go to Vallhalla? was mother and father with you?"

"I dont remember. The last thing I saw was Thanos."

"Oh..." Thor was disappointed. "I just thought you wouldn't have gone to hel."

"I don't have any memorys of where I was. Maybe you don't keep your memories of the afterlife if you revived." Loki smiled. "So we are going to fix the universe then?"

"Oh, yeah. We have gathered all the stones."

"Well, lets go then." Loki firmly hugged Thor.

"You.." Thor then realised Loki was expecting Thor to fly and he was reading himself. Thor called Stormbreaker and called the Bifrost.


End file.
